Chapter 75: A Better Husband

Olivia’s POV

I woke slowly, becoming aware of the warmth around me before I even opened my eyes. My cheek was resting against a bare chest, and a strong arm was wrapped around my waist, holding me close. For a few seconds, I simply lay there, still half asleep. Then everything from last night came rushing back, and my eyes opened.

Lucian. I was in Lucian’s room.

I lifted my head slightly and found him already awake, lying beside me with his head resting against the pillow. His eyes were on me, and judging by the look on his face, he had probably been watching me for a while. But that wasn’t what made my chest tighten. He was still here.

The last time we had slept together, I had woken up alone. I still remembered reaching across the bed and finding nothing but cold sheets. This morning was different. Lucian hadn’t left.

"Good morning," he said quietly.

"Good morning," I replied, suddenly unsure of what else to say.

His arm was still around my waist, and when I shifted slightly, his eyes immediately moved over my face. "Are you alright?" he asked.

The question caught me off guard. "I’m fine."

"You’re sure?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied.

He studied me for another second before finally nodding, although he didn’t look completely convinced. I wasn’t used to this version of Lucian, the one who asked if I was alright instead of simply assuming I would deal with whatever was wrong myself.

Neither of us said anything for a while. The silence wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, but my mind refused to stay quiet. I couldn’t stop wondering what would happen now. Last night had changed something between us, but I didn’t know exactly what.

Lucian seemed to notice the uncertainty on my face. "What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"Nothing," I replied.

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Annabel."

Apparently, that answer had stopped working on everyone in this family.

I looked away from him. "I’m just wondering what happens now."

Lucian was quiet for a moment. "Things are going to change."

My eyes immediately returned to his face. "Change how?"

He shifted slightly against the pillow, but his arm remained loosely around my waist. "I meant what I told you last night," he said. "I should have married you properly when you first arrived. I didn’t because I was angry, and at the time, I didn’t want this marriage to feel real."

Something uncomfortable moved through my chest at those words, but before I could say anything, he continued.

"But things are different now," Lucian said. "I’ve accepted this marriage, Annabel. I’ve accepted you as my wife."

I stared at him. His wife. The words felt heavier than they should have.

"I know I haven’t exactly been a good husband to you," he continued. "I’ve treated you badly because of things your father did. You didn’t deserve that."

I remained silent. If only he knew just how true that was.

"But that’s going to change," he said. "If you’re going to remain my wife, then I’ll start treating you like one. I’ll be a good husband to you."

I stared at him, not knowing what I was supposed to do with those words. Two months ago, Lucian hadn’t even wanted to look at me. He had brought Kenneth’s daughter into his home because he wanted someone to blame for everything the war had taken from him. Now he was lying beside me, telling me he had accepted me as his wife.

Except I wasn’t the woman he thought he had accepted. That was the part that hurt. For the first time since coming here, Lucian was choosing his wife willingly. He just didn’t know that the woman lying beside him wasn’t Princess Annabel.

But what exactly did accepting me as his wife mean? Lucian hadn’t said he loved me. I certainly wasn’t ready to call whatever I felt for him love either. Maybe that wasn’t what this was supposed to be. Maybe we would simply become two people who had been forced into a marriage and somehow learned how to live inside it. A peaceful marriage, maybe even a happy one someday, just not one built on love. Strangely, I didn’t know whether that thought relieved me or disappointed me.

Lucian’s hand moved slightly against my waist, pulling my attention back to him. "You’re doing it again," he said.

"Doing what?" I asked.

"Thinking too much," he replied.

I frowned. "You don’t know what I’m thinking."

"No," he said. "But I can tell when something is bothering you."

His answer brought a small smile to my face before I could stop it. I quickly pushed the blanket aside and started moving away from him.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To my room," I replied.

"Stay."

I stopped and looked at him. Lucian didn’t look away. "You can sleep a little longer," he said.

For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. The difference between this morning and the last one was ridiculous. Last time, I had woken up searching for a man who had already left me. This time, I was the one trying to leave, and he was asking me not to.

"I’ve slept enough," I replied.

"You barely slept," Lucian said.

My brows pulled together. "How would you know?"

"Because I was awake."

I stared at him for a moment before looking away. I wasn’t going to ask how long he had been awake or how long he had been lying there watching me. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what his answer would do to my already confused mind, so I reached for my clothes instead.

"Annabel," he called.

I glanced back at him.

"You don’t have to rush out of here," Lucian said.

"I know."

"Then stay."

There was no order in his voice this time, no Alpha command. He was simply asking, and somehow, that made refusing him harder. For one dangerous second, I considered climbing back into bed, but I needed space. I needed to think without Lucian beside me, watching me like he could somehow see every secret I was trying desperately to keep hidden.

"I want to go back to my room," I said softly.

He watched me for a few seconds before finally nodding. "Alright."

I finished getting dressed and walked toward the door.

"Annabel," he called again.

I turned around.

"I’ll see you at breakfast," Lucian said.

I stared at him for a second before nodding. "Okay."

When I reached for the door again, I found myself hesitating. Lucian was still sitting against the headboard, watching me, and for the first time since I had entered this pack pretending to be his wife, walking away from him felt harder than staying.

I left Lucian’s room and walked down the hallway toward mine. Once I was inside, I closed the door behind me and leaned against it for a moment, trying to clear my head, but it didn’t work. Lucian’s words followed me all the way into the bathroom.

I turned on the shower and stepped beneath the warm water, hoping it would somehow wash away some of the confusion in my head. It didn’t. If anything, being alone only gave me more time to think about everything he had said. A good husband. What exactly was I supposed to do with that?

By the time I finished showering and got dressed, I still didn’t have an answer. I pushed the thoughts aside as best as I could and headed downstairs for breakfast.

When I entered the dining room, Lucian was already there. He had changed and was sitting at the long table with a cup of coffee beside him, his attention focused on the iPad in front of him. The moment I walked into the room, however, his eyes lifted to me.

"Good morning, Princess," one of the maids greeted.

"Good morning," I replied as I walked toward my usual seat.

Before I could reach it, Lucian pushed back the chair beside him and pulled it out for me. I stopped, genuinely wondering for a second if I had imagined it.

Lucian looked at me. "Are you going to sit?"

I glanced at the chair and then back at him. "There?"

His brow lifted. "That’s generally what a chair is for, Annabel."

There he was.

I walked over and sat down, still trying to understand what had just happened. Lucian pushed the chair in slightly before returning to his own seat as though pulling out chairs for me was something he did every morning. It wasn’t. Usually, I sat farther away from him. Now there was barely any space between our chairs.

Breakfast was brought in shortly afterward, and for a while, we ate quietly. Lucian returned his attention to the iPad, but the silence between us felt different this morning. Not warm exactly, but no longer as cold as it used to be. Every now and then, I caught him looking at me.

Eventually, I lowered my fork. "Why do you keep looking at me?"

Lucian looked up from the iPad. "I’m not."

"You are."

"I’m sitting beside you, Annabel. I’m going to look at you occasionally."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You’ve looked at me at least five times."

His brow lifted. "You’ve been counting?"

I opened my mouth and then immediately closed it. Well, that had backfired.

Lucian returned his attention to the iPad, but I could have sworn there was the faintest hint of amusement on his face. I quickly picked up my glass and took a drink.

This was strange. Not bad, just strange. For the past two months, I had grown used to fighting with Lucian, avoiding him, trying to understand him, and wondering whether he hated me. I knew how to deal with cold Lucian. Angry Lucian was becoming surprisingly easy to understand too. But this Lucian, the one who pulled out chairs, asked me to stay in his bed, and promised to become a good husband, I had absolutely no idea what to do with him.

And somewhere beneath all that confusion was the one thought I couldn’t escape. He was doing all of this for Annabel, not Olivia.

I pushed the thought away and returned my attention to my breakfast, but another problem quickly took its place. The wedding.

"Lucian," I called, looking at him. "About the wedding. Are you still serious about it?"

He looked away from the iPad. "Yes. Especially after last night," he replied. "I’ve accepted you as my wife, Annabel. I want us to complete the marriage rites properly."

My stomach tightened. The treaty was one thing. Princess Annabel’s name was written on those papers, and everyone already believed we were married. But standing before the Moon Goddess and making vows while pretending to be another woman was completely different.

"I need time," I said.

Lucian studied me for a moment. "Fine."

I blinked. "Fine?"

"I’ll give you time," he replied. "But I’m not changing my mind."

"And what if I change mine?"

"You won’t."

I stared at him before shaking my head and returning to my breakfast. Apparently, becoming a better husband had done absolutely nothing for the man’s arrogance. Still, he had agreed to give me time, and right now, that was enough.

Lucian glanced at the time before locking the screen of his iPad. "I have meetings today," he said. "I probably won’t be home for lunch or dinner, so make sure you eat."

I swallowed and stared at him for a second. "Okay."

I wasn’t used to this. Lucian had never cared whether I ate lunch or dinner before, and now he was reminding me to eat as though it was the most normal thing in the world.

"If you need anything while I’m gone, ask my Beta," he added as he stood.

"I will," I replied.

Lucian buttoned his jacket and started to walk away, but after only a few steps, he stopped. Before I could wonder why, he turned around and came back toward me. I looked up at him, confused as he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against my forehead.

My entire body went still.

"I’ll see you later," he said before straightening and walking away.

I remained in my chair, staring after him until he disappeared through the dining room doors. My stomach felt strange, like a hundred tiny butterflies had suddenly decided to wake up inside it.

What was happening to me?

I quickly looked down at my breakfast and picked up my fork, determined not to think too much about a simple kiss on the forehead. Then I remembered Owen, and the strange feeling in my stomach disappeared immediately.

Tonight, I had to meet him.